4 Action Steps to walk from Darkness to Light

Dr. Spencer R. Fusselman

Do you ever feel like you're just going through the motions, caught in a cycle of habits that don't truly satisfy? The Bible offers a different path—one that moves us from the aimless wandering of darkness into the purposeful, brilliant light of a life lived for God. The book of Ephesians provides a blueprint for this transformation, guiding us from who we are in Christ to how we should walk as a result. This walk isn't just about good behavior; it's a profound shift in our very nature, leading us to live a life that pleases our Heavenly Father.
This week at Christian Fellowship in Los Lunas, New Mexico, Pastor Steve gave us 4 actionable steps to walk from darkness into light. Before we can understand what it means to walk as children of light, we need to grasp what "light" represents in the Bible. Light is a powerful symbol that consistently refers to the attributes of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Word of God. It represents God's presence, truth, knowledge, and holiness. Light always symbolizes God's holiness and stands in direct opposition to darkness, which consistently represents evil, sin, Satan, and ignorance. This contrast is consistent throughout Scripture.

God is Light
First, God is light. As 1 John 1:5 states, "God is light and in Him is no darkness at all". He is absolutely pure and perfect, without any sin, evil, or moral defect. It's a profound truth that God's first act of creation was to say, "Let there be light". This act wasn't just physical; it was a spiritual purpose—to bring righteousness and goodness into our lives and to "dispel the dark, sinful world that we once lived in".

Jesus is Light
Second, Jesus is light. John 1:4-9 describes Jesus as "the light of men" and "the true light which gives light to every man". He came as a physical presence to bring God's light, love, and truth to a world in darkness. Jesus Himself declared, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life" (John 8:12). Just as physical light overcomes physical darkness, Jesus came to bring spiritual light to overcome spiritual darkness.

Salvation is Light
Third, salvation is light. The prophet Simeon, holding the infant Jesus, saw "salvation" and a "light to bring revelation to the Gentiles" (Luke 2:32). This means salvation is the means by which we are moved from darkness to light. Before Christ, all of us "walk[ed] in darkness and ha[d] no light".

God's Word is Light
Finally, God's Word is light. Psalm 119:105 tells us, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path". God's Word illuminates truth, wisdom, and knowledge. It brings clarity and understanding to our souls and shows us how to walk in a way that pleases the Lord. The Word of God guides our immediate steps right in front of us ("lamp to my feet") and lights the path ahead of us ("a light to my path”). How Do We Walk as Children of Light?
With this understanding of light, let's look at four key aspects of walking as children of light:

1. Be Aware: Your Identity Has Changed
Before we can walk in the light, we have to understand that our identity has fundamentally changed. Paul is clear: "for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord" (Ephesians 5:8). He doesn't say you were "in" darkness; he says you were darkness itself. This is who we were before Christ—our very being was aligned with sin and evil. We "followed our old father the devil, and were darkness just as he is darkness".

But now, through salvation, we are "light in the Lord". Jesus is the true light. This is a complete rescue! We have been "called... out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9). To walk properly in the light, we must be aware of our new position in Christ. We are new creations, and we no longer have to live by the old habits we once had. The power of the Holy Spirit helps us see this truth and walk in it. The speaker reminds us that if we "say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth" (1 John 1:6). But "if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7).

2. Be Agreeable: Align Your Life with His Will
Our walk as children of light should be about "finding out what is acceptable to the Lord" (Ephesians 5:10). The original Greek word for "acceptable" is better translated as "agreeable" or "well pleasing". We don't strive for acceptance, because we've already been accepted in Christ. Instead, we seek to live in a way that is agreeable to Him.

This means putting every thought, word, and action to the test. We should constantly ask ourselves: "Would this please the Lord?" and "Would he agree with this thought, word, or action?". William McDonnell, a Bible commentator, said that every area of life comes "under the searchlight". We must examine everything by the light of God and Scripture so our walk is agreeable to Him. This is how we produce the fruit of the Spirit, which is "in all goodness, righteousness, and truth" (Ephesians 5:9). Goodness is "love in action". Righteousness is integrity in character before God and in action before others. And truth is the result of applying God's truth from His Word.


3. Take Action: Expose the Darkness
A life in the light requires action. We are instructed to "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them" (Ephesians 5:11). There's nothing fruitful that happens in the dark. In fact, "evil company corrupts good habits" (1 Corinthians 15:33). The light of Christ in us should shine as a conviction to those in darkness. Many unbelievers do not come to church because "the light of Christ shines on the darkness in their lives.”
But we also need to let the light shine on our own lives. We must allow God to "enlighten my darkness" (Psalm 18:28) so that what needs to be dealt with can be purged and corrected. This doesn't mean we should speak of the vile and disgusting things done in secret, which are shameful (Ephesians 5:12). It means we should focus on walking in righteousness, allowing the light to guide us away from darkness. A key principle is that darkness cannot overtake light. If you walk toward the light, it gets brighter. If you walk away from the light, it gets dark really, really fast.

4. Be Awake: Live with Purpose
Our walk as children of light demands that we are
awake and attentive. There's no room for spiritual laziness or "coasting". In the Bible, night symbolizes spiritual sleep and unawareness. As believers, we are called to be awake and active in God's will. Paul tells us, "Now it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed" (Romans 13:11). This wakefulness means we are:

Awake to our own spiritual condition. We must "cast off the works of darkness, and... put on the armor of light" (Romans 13:12).



Awake to the lost around us. Jesus was "moved with compassion" for the multitudes who were "weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd" (Matthew 9:36). Our light should shine so others can "see your good works and glorify your God and Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).




Awake to the times. We are "sons of light and sons of the day" (1 Thessalonians 5:5) , so we must "watch and be sober" (1 Thessalonians 5:6). We should be looking for the day we see Jesus, not for temporary worldly solutions.



Every day is a new opportunity to "Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you" (Isaiah 60:1). The speaker concluded with a powerful reminder from John 3: "he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God" (John 3:21). So, which way are you walking? Are you moving toward the light, or away from it? Let's choose to be children of the light.